Central to the naming of esports - and centered through orthographic conventions such as e-sports and eSports - is an understanding of these practices as somehow related to what we might call “traditional” sports. Based on name alone, we might assume that this relationship takes one (or both) of the following forms:

• Electronic versions of traditional sports
• Sports which happen to be electronic in nature

Of course, these two possibilities oversimplify what is a complex and controversial question. The term “sports” itself is an umbrella category which encompasses a number of heterogeneous cultural practices; these practices are supported and sustained by a variety of technical, material, and financial instructures, some of which are shared closely with esports. Two of the most common ways in which “sports” are defined - physicality of play and fandoms - have complex interrelations with esports, which themselves are grounded in the physical actions of players and surrounded by deep ecosystems of fandom.

I do not offer an answer to the question of whether esports are sports. Much ink has been spilled, often with significant vitriol, on both sides of the argument. Understanding what is at stake when this question is asked, however, and how participants and commentators (and even courtsFried, Gil. 2023. “Esports Minus Sport?” Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports 1(1).) have attempted to answer it, can help us better understand this complex, hazily-defined thing we call esports.

A note on terminology: in this project, I will use the term “esports player” rather than “esports athlete.” Both are used in the community with some regularity, but the latter is often viewed with skepticism as drawing a false equivalence with traditional sports.